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Monday, December 19, 2011

I am positively bursting with excitement this week; the upcoming holidays give me an excuse to wear my preppiest plaids, hand out carefully chosen gifts and celebrate our engagement with far flung family and friends, but it's 2012 I can't stop thinking about!

The New Year will not only bring kisses and Champagne, but a whole new look (and name!) to this carefully curated blog. You'll be getting a peek this week at images that influenced the new look, and come January 2, there'll be a big reveal! I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that you'll be as crazy about it as I am!

After last weekend's escapades and a spectacular but busy week at the office, I was ready for some quiet time, and boy was the weekend exactly what I'd hoped for. John welcomed me home with a cocktail (a daiquiri made with Barbancourt White) on Friday night, and we giggled over homemade pizza and (yes, I'm really admitting to this) Die Hard 2: Die Harder. I guess nothing says Christmas like holiday-themed terrorist attacks, right? You can imagine my disappointment when I learned that Die Hard 3 involved no twinkling lights, faux snow or Santa hats.

We were up early on Saturday morning (why is that so much harder to do on Thursday?) and cooked a lovely breakfast side by side at the stove. After errands that wrapped up our Christmas shopping and holiday prep, we headed back home to knock out work that's been piling up; really, does anything feel better than checking stuff off your to-do list, or cleaning up your image folders? Avocados are finally edible again, so we celebrated our last weekend in the Golden State with tacos, guacamole and limeade.

John brought me breakfast in bed on Sunday, and we discovered that our favorite Sconehenge scones are even more delicious warmed in the oven. Morning sun salutations, a cherry red pedicure, packing for our holiday travel and finishing my latest read, Mad Men and Philosophy, kept me busy while John was at school, desperate to log hours in the practice room before we fly out Thursday evening. A Sunday evening shepherd's pie (a tasty way to clean out the fridge) paired perfectly with Elf, and we felt ready to take on this week!

Tell me, what final preparations are you making this week? Are you hosting Christmas this year, or will you be headed to the airport like John and I?

What a fabulous weekend, Lena! Love it. Oh that John...I love that he brings you breakfast in bed every weekend. Have a fabulous break showing off your ring and celebrating.ps. I can't wait to see the blog reveal. xo

So, so excited for your blog makeover! But you know that :) I spent the weekend Christmas shopping, putting up the tree (finally!), and seeing one of my best friends from Ohio! She was in town with her boyfriend who lives nearby and they drove over an hour out of their way to come by and see me. I was positively giddy! :)

I'm off to get a cherry red pedicure and manicure this afternoon to celebrate being on vacation! But first, gotta scrub the house and do a few loads of laundry so I can really enjoy the time off and of course, the holidays.

Sounds like a divine weekend! I am trying to bring myself to clean the house since we're leaving on Wednesday afternoon after I get off work. We might even have a house guest while we're gone and the place is filthy. Sigh..

Author and editor Lena is a music and dance scholar and classically trained coloratura soprano who adores F. Scott Fitzgerald and hand-written notes,
believes every household should have a chilled bottle of Champagne on hand,
and loves very few things more than a perfectly placed polka dot.